As integrated circuits of smaller and smaller size are introduced, it becomes increasingly more difficult to scale them downwardly by shrinking the size of integrated circuit electrical components such as capacitors, while retaining their functional features. Of particular concern is the difficulty in lowering effective oxide thickness (EOT) of downwardly scaled capacitors because of the difficulties of manufacturing capacitors with exceedingly thin dielectric regions. One manner of assuring performance of capacitors in such scaled circuits is by improving the EOT by selecting dielectric materials having an increased dielectric constant.
Scalability of gate dielectric EOT is one of the greatest challenges the semiconductor community is currently facing. Continued EOT scaling is being investigated in the industry by integrating gate dielectrics with higher dielectric constants (k-value).
There is a need for dielectric materials and processes for forming them that improve the EOT of scaled capacitors.